A striking Romanesque rotunda built in the 11th-12th century, perched on a cliff above the Brembo river in Almenno San Bartolomeo, about 15 km west of Bergamo. The circular plan is unusual for Lombardy, and the building's most celebrated detail is a cross-shaped window positioned so that sunlight falls directly on the altar at the summer solstice.
Next to the church is a restored 13th-century convent. The setting — chestnut woods, the river valley below, farmland stretching out — is as much the point as the architecture.
Hours: November-April: Sundays and holidays 10:00-12:00 and 14:30-17:00. May-October: Saturdays 14:30-18:00, Sundays and holidays 10:00-12:00 and 14:30-18:00. Other visits by reservation. Free entrance.